Anti-Wikipedian Translation At China’s Internet Conference

A screenshot of the translation of Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales’ remarks at the World Internet Conference in Wuzhen on Dec. 17, 2015.

The Wall Street Journal

Jimmy Wales co-founded Wikipedia, a website that relies on the good faith of its users to edit online content. But its crowd-sourcing model took on a new dimension at a conference in China on Thursday, as comments from Mr. Wales were edited when translated to make them reflect local Internet policy.

During a panel discussion at the Chinese government’s ongoing World Internet Conference in the city of Wuzhen, Mr. Wales predicted that advances in machine-driven translation might someday make it “no longer possible” for governments to control flows of information.

Yet, when the comments were reproduced on the conference’s official website, they read as if put through a translation machine programed to reflect Beijing policy. Mr. Wales’s statement was translated to say coming technology improvements will allow authorities to better analyze online communications.

The twisted wordage credited to Mr. Wales emerged from a panel discussion he participated in Thursday about how media and mobile technology will ultimately converge. The Wikipedia co-founder riffed on machine-driven translation, a technology that both versions of his comments agree he thinks will improve global person-to-person communications.

“We will see, not perfect, but very much improved machine translation, which will very much enhance person-to-person communication worldwide. This will be a very powerful thing,” Mr. Wales said, according to a recording of his comments reviewed by China Real Time. “I believe as a result of this, the idea that any one government can control the flow of information of what people know in their territory will become completely antiquated and no longer possible.”

The first part of the Wikipedia co-founder’s view made it unscathed onto the Chinese language transcript published on the official conference website. The second part? Not so much.

“Probably we will see improved machine translation, which will very much enhance person-to-person communication. And also the government could conduct good analysis on people’s communication in various relevant areas,” said the Chinese version.

A forum press officer said they were looking into the matter. Mr. Wales, and a spokesman, couldn’t immediately be reached to comment on the translation.

During his panel appearance, Mr. Wales had criticized China’s policy to block some websites, saying it would ultimately not serve the country well.

Before the panel talk, Mr. Wales told China Real Time his site’s status in China didn’t come up during a brief meeting he held early Thursday with Cyberspace Administration of China chief Lu Wei, which he described as a “small beginning” that could lead to further talks. Mr. Lu runs the World Internet Conference and he holds broad authority to control online content in China.

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